


Bubblegum, Vanilla, and Old Books

by samwellsgays



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: F/F, Genderswap, Mostly Canon Compliant, all except lardo ofc, except for the fact that they're all girls, fem!nurseydex, girls please!, i don't really know what's endgame atm, i have no real plans, so i'll add tags as they become relevant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9528083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samwellsgays/pseuds/samwellsgays
Summary: Willa Poindexter is just trying to escape her small town, play hockey, and build a life for herself.Danni Nurse is just trying to do the same.Is it all a conflict of interest? Or are the stars finally aligning?





	1. TOUR

Bubblegum, vanilla, and old books.

 

The smell of Danni Nurse has been etched into Willa Poindexter’s mind ever since the day they first met.

 

“Hey! Poindexter, right?” The brunette grinned as the group of girls walked onto the grounds of Samwell University, following instructions to meet up in the quad where they’d then be led through the official guided tour of the Faber rink and then through the campus tour. Willa wasn’t really sure why the girl was asking, especially since they’d never met before and ‘Willa Poindexter’ was clearly written on the name tag stuck to her shirt.

 

As far as first impressions went, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to be friends with the darker skinned girl, but she knew that she was definitely the most beautiful person that had ever walked the earth.

 

And so here they were, Willa trying to stop her face from turning rose pink and Danni looking at her with this confused yet superior look in her eyes. “Yeah. Who are you?” Willa clamped down her nerves upon realising that the other girl clearly thinks she’s the better one here.

 

“Oh, uh, I’m Danni. Danni Nurse.” She smiled and extended a hand, fumbling around for a bit as she tried to grasp control of the situation again.

 

Willa took her hand and shook it to be polite before walking away. She knew everything she needed to survive at Samwell.

 

Avoid Danni Nurse at all costs.

 

She was everything that Willa was taught to despise. Rich kids who’ve never worked a day in their lives, kids who’ve had the world handed to them and don’t even think twice about it. Kids that don’t have to fight their own prejudices every minute of every day because their family and friends are all so accepting of everything. Kids who think they’re better than the ones that have had to climb mountains to be where they are.

 

Of course, the universe wasn’t going to make it easy to survive.

 

“Okay, so everyone who is going to be joining the hockey team this way! We don’t have a lot of time so we need to make the rounds of the rink as quickly and efficiently as possible!” A slim but attractive boy walked around to where everyone was standing and Willa suddenly realised that she was surrounded by what were probably other hockey players. Most of them were tall, nearly matching her six-foot build, but some of them were slightly shorter, more petite or simply muscular in a way that she wasn’t. It didn’t bother her, she told herself. She was happy with her body and the bulky way that she’d toned up on her uncle’s boat over the summer. She wasn’t going to dwell on how much she believed herself, though.

The boy’s name was apparently ‘Lardo’ and he was the team manager, which was the main reason why he was giving the tour. He seemed to be the only guy involved with the team at all, and Willa really couldn’t find it in herself to mind, especially as the phrase ‘one in four, maybe more’ ran through her mind. The one thing she did mind, of course, was the fact that the girl from earlier kept talking to others around her and would not stop to listen to the information she was being told. Clearly, she thought she was too good to learn about a school that might soon be hers. Her bitter thoughts were cut short as Lardo began to speak again, his voice echoing around the ice rink.

 

“Right, girls. That was the tour of the Faber Memorial Rink. Again. My name’s Lars. I’m the team manager, so if you have any more questions, I can answer them. Otherwise, we’ve got a campus tour starting in a minute… If our tour guide decides to show up.” Willa stopped listening as intently, realising that they had a short break to look around and talk to one another.

 

Lardo had barely finished speaking when the girl to her right spoke up, her nose pressed to the glass of the rink. She had long black hair and braces which matched the teal of her ‘Sharks’ hoodie and hat. Well, at least the girl wasn’t ashamed of her favourite hockey team. “Bro– Faber’s cooler than I imagined! Can’t you picture it? Being at center ice face off with the big windows in the back?!” Yeah, she could. “Well, one of you guys would be at center ice. I’d be in the net.”

 

She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and scrunched up her nose in disdain. She couldn’t fall in love with this school, especially since she wasn’t sure if her family would be able to afford it just yet. So, Willa did what she did best. Built walls. “I mean, I guess it’s all right. But I’m still, uh, leaning towards a state school – or somewhere less… preppy.”

 

The Sharks fan quickly snapped her head back to take in Willa’s appearance, her red hair pulled back into a loose bun and her favourite green flannel tucked into a pair of black shorts. She knew she looked like she didn’t really care about her appearance, and for the most part that was true. But there was also a slight bit of effort she put in to make it look effortless. To make it look like she didn’t care but she was still cute while not caring. That was the Willa Poindexter look.

 

“Hey, it’s Dex. Right? Could you take my picture? I can’t get over how ‘swawesome those windows are!”

 

She opened her mouth to object to half of that sentence, not knowing where ‘Dex’ came from or what ‘swawesome’ meant. Of course, as she opened her mouth, she was interrupted by the team manager speaking up behind them. “Wow. Wait, kid. Did you just say ‘swawesome?”

 

The Sharks fan started babbling frantically, trying to explain herself and express that she hoped she was allowed to use the term. Willa mostly ignored it, though. Especially since she still didn’t know what the word meant.

 

“Good morning, my lovely little tadpoles!” Ah, saved by the bell again. “First off, sorry for being late! ‘Specially when we got so much stuff packed in for the rest of the day! My name is Erica Bittle, official Samwell Hockey Hospitality Representative and Unofficial Samwell Hockey Tour Guide – and I brought y’all goodie bags.” Willa couldn’t remember a time where she had seen someone hold so much strength and hospitality in such a small body, but Erica managed it, blond hair half pulled up as she started to go into detail about the goodie bags. She wore similar black shorts to the ones that Willa was wearing but paired them with a Samwell baseball tee. The goodie bags were handed out and she looked through it, standing beside Danni and the Sharks fan as they talked to one of the other team members.

 

Apparently, her name was Shitty and she knew Danni– Nursey from Andover. Not shocking, she supposed. She listened silently to the conversation before it took a turn into familiar territory, talking and learning more about the members of the team.

 

“...But yo. Man! Your other team manager is mad hyper.”

 

“Who, Bitty? Bitty’s not a team manager– she’s on the team.”

 

“That girl? Wow. I thought since Jack Zimmerman played here, girls would be… Less good at baking. If you know what I mean.” She knew it sounded mean as it fell from her lips, but she didn’t have time to take it back. From all of her hockey experience, girls had to be tough and ready to fight, not soft and sweet and smelling nice and… It was one of the things that made her think that she could avoid dealing with her problems, if she saw girls as the enemy and someone to fight, maybe she’d avoid thinking about kissing them.

 

“Okay!! I did it. I just enrolled!! I’m Samwell 2018!” The girl in the Sharks merch – Chowder apparently, yelled in her ear, quickly distracting her from the internal turmoil she was going through and hopefully distracting the other two from her borderline homophobic comment just moments before.

 

She managed to get through the rest of the day without incident, avoiding ‘Nursey’ and being civil to the rest of what was likely to be her team. She was no longer Willa and was suddenly ‘Dex’, and while she’d had a few different hockey nicknames over the years, this one felt like a fresh start. She hopped on the bus back home, ignoring the invitation from Nursey to sit with her, rolling her eyes and making a beeline for the other side of the bus.

 

Rude? Maybe. Getting her point across? Definitely.

 

Willa had never simultaneously wanted to go somewhere so badly and wanted to avoid the same place so much.

 

As they rode home, she tried to take in any other smell she could find around her, but only one lingered.

 

Bubblegum, vanilla, and old books.


	2. Calculator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first few weeks at Samwell University are hard for both Dex and Nursey. 
> 
> The girls both have to turn to their friends when they're at each other's throats 24/7.

Willa’s first few weeks at Samwell were interesting, to say the least. 

 

She adored the hockey team already, especially Bitty and Holster who took care of her from the moment she arrived. She wasn’t as crash hot about Jack and Ransom although she knew that it was purely because she was so different to the two girls, and she quickly found herself warming up to them both. 

 

Samwell was a new world. It was a world full of Chowders and Shittys, where everyone came from somewhere different but they always worked together. Of course, it drove Willa up the walls every time someone broke something and simply claimed they’d “buy another” but she had to accept that this was the way her life was going to be. Some people got money without even worrying about where it came from. She didn’t even want to think about the whole “one in four, maybe more” thing, because she would probably just freak out and explode. 

 

It wasn’t that she was against gay people or anything like that, it was just that the world was different where she came from. People didn’t talk about kissing girls, much less actually kissing them. She’d had many talks from Shitty about it already and many more arguments with Nursey but she was still learning and it was hard. Well, as hard as it could be for a straight white girl. 

 

She was currently on the green couch in the lounge room of the Haus, competing with Holster in a match of FIFA, perched on her knees as she stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth. Chowder had been playing earlier, but they all decided she was better off as a cheerleader after she had politely given her competitors the ball one too many times. The couch itself was a lot cleaner than it had been when she first arrived. The girls had quickly decided to band together with all of their stain-removing and cleaning knowledge in order to get it to a relatively non-toxic state. 

 

She was moments away from winning the game, ready to block a shot from Holster in the final seconds when her focus was stolen by a loud crash and a yell. 

 

“Dex what the fuck!” She jumped at the sound of the voice, dropping the remote and allowing her competitor to win. 

 

“What have I done to upset you this time, Nursey?” She put the remote down in a huff, recognising that voice from a mile away and preparing herself to be yelled at for the next ten minutes. 

 

“There’s no need to be so defensive when I haven’t even told you what I’m mad about! But you left your bag in the middle of the hallway, again!” She held up the offending backpack, the tips of her ears slightly red in anger but not nearly red enough to rival the colour that Dex knew her cheeks had become. 

 

“It wasn’t in the middle of the hallway! I wouldn’t have left it there because I didn’t want to go through the twenty-minute lecture you gave me two days ago! I’m sorry that you apparently expect the world to revolve around you, but I have better things to be doing than meticulously keeping track of my bag and ensuring that you don’t fall over, which by the way is something you manage to do with or without my bag.” Chowder squeaked and ran off, she was rarely able to deal with the conflict between the two frogs. Dex didn’t blame her, but she thought it would be nice to have some backup from her friends every now and then. 

 

“So apparently I’m making this up now? Because the best part of my day is arguing with you? Yeah, that’s definitely it! It’s rich that you’ve decided that the world revolves around me, you pretty little straight white girl. You must have it so hard.” She scoffed and Dex was ready to leap off of the couch and strangle her. Instead, she stood up and clenched her hands into fists beside her. 

 

“You want to know what’s rich? I’ll tell you what’s rich!” She opened her mouth to start speaking again when Bitty put her head through the doorway. 

 

“Hey Nursey, I don’t want to pick sides, but the backpack hooks that we have by the door fell down. Dex’s bag really wasn’t in the middle of the corridor on purpose.” The blonde girl looked so small, clearly not wanting to cause a rift between her and Nursey but knowing that speaking up was the best option to stop the girls from ripping each other’s throats out. 

 

“Thanks, Bitty. I was just coming by to get my book anyway.” Nursey picked up the book and left without another word, no apology to Dex and no comment to Holster who was still sitting on the couch silently. 

 

Dex hated her. 

 

She knew hate was a harsh word, and she told this to Bitty while she sat on the kitchen counter, carefully out of the pie-making area of the kitchen, but there wasn’t another word to use.

 

“You know, love is the opposite of hate and people aren’t at all hesitant to use that. I don’t get why hate is such a terrible word to use.” She wasn’t even sure that the other girl was listening at this point, though she didn’t care too much. Willa just needed to get it all off of her chest. “I mean, she’s not bad on the ice, but did you see her earlier? She didn’t apologise or anything for yelling at me! Just walked out. And I checked my bag? She broke my calculator when her stupid ass fell on it. Where am I going to get the money for a new one?” The reality of the calculator was suddenly starting to set in, it wasn’t cheap and it was vital for her to have it but it wasn’t like she could just buy a new one. 

 

“Look, Dex. I’ll talk to Nursey about helping you get a new one. She’s the one that broke it after all. And in the meantime, you can borrow my calculator. I bought it thinking I’d need it for at least one of my courses but any math I need I can do on my phone. How does that sound?” Bitty was drying her hands and walked over to hold Dex’s hands comfortingly, looking up into her eyes. 

 

“Thanks, Bitty. Your help means a lot.” She jumped down off of the counter to hug her, then took a deep breath and went back to the lounge room to rematch Holster while the two of them waited for the next pie to bake.  

 

She left the Haus well-fed and with Bitty’s calculator in her bag, the argument with Nursey long forgotten. Dex had decided after their third argument that there was no point holding onto her anger any longer than necessary, even if it came back like a freight train when the next fight started. It wasn't like she disliked Nursey either, which a lot of people seemed to think. They were just too different. Her dorm was empty when she got there which was a blessing since she had no work to do and it meant she could just watch films on their couch. 

 

Stepping out of her jeans and changing into an oversized t-shirt, she quickly remembered to send a text to her roommates to let them know that she wanted some form of a warning before they came home. It was a system they'd already worked out so that each girl could have her own privacy. There were three of them in the one dorm because it cost more to have double or single dorms, but Dex didn't mind too much. It just got crowded sometimes. 

 

She was halfway through watching ‘The Breakfast Club’ when there was a knock at the door. Without even thinking about it, she paused the movie and hopped up off of the couch, crossing the room to the front door and opening it to… A very sad looking Nursey. 

 

“What do you want?” She tried to hold her irritated look as the tips of her ears went bright red. They both seemed to realise at the same time that Dex was wearing no pants, but Dex managed to focus back on the fact that Nursey was standing unannounced at her door. 

 

“I, uh, I was just coming past to ask how much money you need to replace your calculator.” She already had her purse out, ready to hand over as much cash as necessary and this just made Dex angrier than she’d been all day. 

 

“You just don't get it, do you? You think you can just wave your magic fucking debit card and fix everything. Go back to your own dorm, Nurse. You're embarrassing yourself and you're being an asshole.” She shut the door in her D-man’s face and walked back into her apartment to continue watching the film. Of course, it was an afterthought that she'd have to work to buy a new calculator and she should have taken the money, but it was all done now. Maybe there were jobs around the campus. The film finished and she went off to bed, putting her hair up into a messy bun and taking off her makeup before falling asleep quickly. 

 

Willa was abruptly woken in the morning by the sound of her alarm, which had been adjusted to just the right volume so that it would wake her but none of her roommates. She ate breakfast, packed her backpack, braided her hair, brushed her teeth and got dressed, leaving her apartment and heading down to the Faber Ice Rink at five am. 

 

That was another thing she’d learned in her first few weeks at Samwell. Jack Zimmermann was a sadist. 

 

She loved her captain, but as she trudged down the cold streets toward the rink, she couldn’t help but wish the older girl would stop with these practices. Dex understood why they did it, you didn’t get to the NCAA hockey championships without practice and hard work, but she just wished that there were more hours in the day for her to sleep. 

 

Jack was already there when she walked into Faber, and she was out on the ice when Dex came out of the locker rooms ready to practice. As they skated, she thought back to their first day when one of the other frogs asked why their captain had the name Jack, to which she just shrugged with a smile and said; “My dad wanted a boy.” Dex knew after that moment that there was something binding the whole team together. She had siblings, of course, boys and girls. But she also knew how much prouder her dad would be if she was a boy. 

 

That went for everyone on the team. As she looked around at them, it was easy to tell that each one of them has had their shortcomings due to the fact that they’re not the men’s hockey team. It’s also easy to tell that it helps them to work harder, faster, better. 

 

They practice in pairs, and as always, Dex is with Nursey. She’ll admit to herself that she likes being next to the brown-eyed girl when they’re on the ice. They work well together, and as long as they don’t speak. Physical compatibility and all that. Practice went smoothly and they were all in the locker rooms before long, showering and trying to get ready for a day of classes. 

 

“You girls did so well today! Keep it up and we’ll seriously have a chance at these championships.” Jack clapped both Dex and Nursey on the back as they walked out of Faber, causing Nursey to trip slightly. Dex caught her before she could do any real damage and rolled her eyes, walking off in the opposite direction toward her first class. They’d have a chance at the championships if Nursey didn’t break her arm or something before then. 

 

She put in her headphones as she walked off to class, calming herself down and getting ready for the day. 

 

* * *

  
  


“Hey, Nurse! Sexiled again?” Ransom was the first to see her as she walked into the Haus that afternoon, pulling her into a quick hug. 

 

“Yep. I swear I’ve been sexiled ten times and we’ve only been here for three weeks. I mean, as long as it’s consensual and my roommate’s happy or whatever.” She followed the older girl to the kitchen where Bitty had just pulled a fresh pie from the oven. 

 

“Smells so good Bits!” Ransom grinned and ruffled the small blonde's hair, earning an annoyed grunt in response. 

 

“Thanks! You’ll have to wait a while for this to cool, but there’s a bunch of mini pies in the fridge if you need to go and study.” Nursey nodded and slid onto one of the stools beside the counter, watching Ransom grab two mini pies and kiss Bitty’s head. 

“Thanks, kiddo. I’d better go and study, so I’ll see you two sometime before I graduate.” She laughed and left, leaving Nursey and Bitty alone in the kitchen. 

 

“How’s life been?” Nursey asked after a prolonged silence, trying to make conversation while Bitty did something to the pie that she didn’t really understand but knew that it was probably important. 

 

“It’s been… Okay.” She sighed and Nursey stayed silent, knowing that Bitty would keep talking about her problems if she wanted to. “I mean, it’s just the whole checking thing. I don’t know how to fix it but I need to get it under control again if I want to keep playing hockey. And if I stop playing hockey I’m going to have to leave Samwell which I really don’t want to do of course. I used to be okay when Jack was helping me and now I’m back to being terrible again. What happens when he graduates?” Bitty wasn’t even talking to Nursey anymore, just ranting and talking to himself as she started to clean the kitchen. 

 

Nursey got up to help, starting to wash up the bowls that Bitty had stacked up, signing softly. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. We haven’t been playing together for that long but it seems to be a mental block more than anything else. Have you tried meditation or mindfulness?” 

 

“I’ve thought about it but I don’t really understand stuff like that so I don’t think I can make it work. Do you reckon it’d help?” Bitty moved to stand beside Nursey, drying the dishes as the other girl washed them. 

 

“I reckon it’s worth a try. And if you’re really worried about having no help when Jack graduates I’m happy to help take over whatever she does to help you.” Nursey grinned and bumped Bitty’s hip with her own. 

 

“Thanks honey, it means a lot.” 

 

“No problem Bits. I’m always here for you. Besides, it would suck if you had to leave, I think most of these girls would starve without you.” 

 

“They were fine before I got here and they’ll be fine when I leave.” She shrugged, trying to make a joke but clearly getting lost in the weight of her thoughts. 

 

“Don’t say that. The team depends on you. We won’t be the same when you leave. Everyone has a part in changing how this team operates, especially you. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.” Danni abandoned the bowl she was scrubbing to pull Bitty into a tight hug, laughing as the spoon that Bitty was holding got jammed between them. 

 

“Thank you, really. You and Dex annoy the hell out of me sometimes but I’m so glad you’re on the team.” She smiled and hugged back the best way she could with the spoon still in her hand, before pulling back and continuing to work on the dishes. 

 

“Yeah, now that you mention Dex… I need some help.” Nursey started scrubbing the bowl again, using the circular motion to calm herself and focus on the conversation that they needed to be having. 

 

“What have you done now.” 

 

“I didn’t do anything! Well, I don’t think I did?” She looked up and sighed when she saw Bitty’s questioning gaze. “I went to her dorm yesterday. After you told me about her calculator. I felt horrible and so I went to offer her whatever money she needed to fix it. She, uh, just slammed the door in my face.” Nursey tried to brush over the part where Dex wasn’t wearing any pants, though she could feel her cheeks heat up slightly at the memory. The redness faded quickly when she remembered the look of disgust and anger on Dex’s face, her emotions morphing back into guilt and confusion. 

 

“Oh. Oh, honey, you have to realise that money isn’t as easy for her as it is for you. Dex, well, Dex can’t just afford to replace a calculator once it’s broken and she gets mad when other people can. It’s not jealousy, I don’t think. It’s like…” She paused, putting down the bowl she was drying and picking up a pot as she tried to find the right words. “It’s like when Dex says something full of white privilege. She doesn’t realise that it’s wrong because she’s never had to go through the things you’ve been through. You having money is a form of privilege she doesn’t have y’know.” 

 

“Yeah, that makes sense. Shit, I feel like such an asshole, you know? Like I’m always messing up and I just don’t know how to fix things.” She was cleaning the last few utensils, focusing more on the water and sponge in her hands than the way her heart started racing whenever she thought about the look in Dex’s eyes whenever they fought. 

 

“Maybe you could start by apologising? You know you never said sorry yesterday.” Bitty’s response was a little cold, but still helpful and Nursey knew that she deserved it. 

 

“I know. I was so horrible and I should have said sorry when I knew I was wrong. You’re right. She just makes me so mad and I know that’s not an excuse but you just don’t know how frustrating it is to just want to be friends with someone and have them constantly pushing you away!” Nursey put her head down, tucking her chin to her chest and taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. “I’m sorry for exploding like that. You don’t deserve that at all.” 

 

“You’re damn right I don’t.” Bitty started, and without even looking at her, Nursey knew the moment that she decided to calm down also and change her approach to the issue. “I think maybe you should start by apologising. And try to think of a way that you can make it up to Dex without just giving her money.” 

 

“How am I supposed to do that?” 

 

“Just think. I’m sure that beautiful brain of yours can come up with something.” 

 

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Bitty, it means a lot that you’re here to stop me from going coral reef.” Danni looked down at the empty sink and benches where they’d managed to clean and put away all of the dishes during their talk. “Speaking of, I should probably go check on Ransom. And see if I’m still sexiled.” She laughed and dried her hands, pulling Bitty into a quick hug before leaving the kitchen and running up the stairs toward the attic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I know I haven't updated in forever but this is really long so hopefully that'll make up for something?? 
> 
> I've kind of realised recently that with all of my writing experience, I haven't really written anything about girls?? Which is weird because I only really know much about girls. But none of my fandoms really have many girls that I have taken a personal interest in writing about. So here we are, genderswapping and having fun. 
> 
> If you want to chat with me about the girls or anything else, my tumblr is miscgays!


	3. Plan

Danni woke up in the middle of the night a few days later, her eyes wide and her heart racing. She knew how to make it up to Willa. She quickly glanced at her phone, taking note that it was two am and hopped out of bed as quickly as possible. She had to be quiet to avoid waking her roommate, but she turned the lamp on at her desk and got out a notebook to start writing a plan.

 

It only took a few minutes to write down what she wanted to do, not wanting to plan it out step by step, but wanting to have enough information that she wouldn’t forget it in the morning. She didn’t want to think about how many of her genius ideas have been lost because she simply went back to sleep and promised herself she’d remember in the morning.

 

* * *

 

Willa woke up in the morning and sighed silently as she realised that they had morning practice. It was mostly just her and Nursey running practices with Ransom and Holster to work on their D-Skills (yes, they’d all made the joke and giggled about it for the appropriate amount of time). Jack was usually there too, being the captain and watching over them like the hockey robot she was, but they all embraced that and learned to love her for it.

 

She thought back to Nursey’s attempt at an apology a few days ago as she got ready for practice, rolling her eyes and feeling her stomach sink a bit. It wasn’t like she was expecting some massive revelation and for the girl she saw every day to start behaving like a normal person, but for her to just completely stop trying to make things better was frustrating. It felt like she’d tried for forgiveness and just given up when she didn’t get the answer she was looking for. Typical rich kid behaviour, she thought to herself.

 

The walk to the ice rink wasn’t too far but she hated having to waste the time, so she’d managed to convince her parents to let her have her older brother’s bike when she started at Samwell. That was what she was riding across campus when she saw Danni walking with a backpack slung over one shoulder. She looked… Exhausted.

 

Gorgeous, Willa reminded herself as she looked at the rumpled version of Nursey, but still exhausted. She wasn’t sure if she was mad about the fact that Nursey still looked perfect or not.

 

Regardless, she rode the bicycle up to her and hopped off of it, wanting to be polite and talk to her for once. Maybe they could still be friends.

 

“Hey Nurse, you’re looking excited to be alive this morning.” She mused sarcastically, pulling a thermos from her own backpack and taking a slow mouthful of deliciously warm coffee.

 

“Yeah yeah, I get it I’m a mess.” She laughed softly and ran a hand along the braids in her hair that seemed to have been in place for a few days now. “Just didn’t sleep that well, is all.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Willa offered a gentle smile which was returned. Maybe this olive branch was working after all? If anyone asked, though, it was a momentary lapse of judgement due to the ridiculously early start. “Do you want some of my coffee? Might help you wake up a bit?”

 

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thank you.” She smiled as Dex poured the coffee into the lid of the thermos and handed it over, sipping at it with a warm smile on her lips. “This is exactly what I needed, even if it’s a little blacker than I take mine. Thanks.” She took another sip and Dex felt the tips of her ears heat up.

 

“No problem, I made heaps so…” She trailed off, rolling her bike along the sidewalk as they continued on their way to Faber.

 

“Hey Dex, I was thinking…” Here goes. Dex tightened her grip on the handlebars of the bike subconsciously, waiting for whatever asshole-ish thing was about to come out of Nursey’s mouth. “I’m still really sorry about the whole calculator thing, and I know that you think I just try to buy my way out of things, so I was wondering if I could work off the money that I owe you?”

 

She froze in shock, losing her grip on the bicycle and accidentally sending the piece of metal to the ground. “Wait, what?” She stuttered.

 

“Well, um I was thinking that I could do jobs for you - chores, errands, you know that kind of thing. Of course, I'll give you the money too, but that way I’ll be working it off and actually putting in a hard day’s work to ‘earn’ the replacement calculator.” She used air quotes around the word “earn” and Dex couldn’t even find it in herself to be annoyed by it.

 

It was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever offered to do for her.

 

“Yeah, I guess that could work.” She picked up her bicycle and kept wheeling it toward the ice rink. They weren’t far now, and Dex was glad. The cold ice would have to stop her from blushing as hard as she was.

 

“Okay, that’s chill. You have my number, so I guess… Text me when you have jobs you want me to do. And you can assign how much money each job is worth? So we can know when I’ve earned the calculator, y’know.”

 

“You’ve really thought this through.” She saw Holster and Ransom at the door to Faber, looking about as exhausted as she felt.

 

“Well yeah, it’s what kept me up last night. I wanted to make sure I knew all of the parts before I tried to bring it up with you.”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry for keeping you awake then. But you better not slack off in training.” She laughed and hopped on her bike, riding off the last few metres and racing Nursey as they both dashed for the stairs. Dex won, of course. But it was a pretty close call.

 

* * *

 

It was lunch time before Willa was able to think of the first job she wanted Danni to do. She’d had to think hard about how much money to charge her, because the calculator was two hundred and thirty dollars and she didn’t want to hang this over Nursey’s head for too long, but she also didn’t want to make this too easy.

 

**_Dexter’s Laboratory:_ ** _can u grab my food and coffee when they call it out?? and bring a napkin too? ($5)_

 

She didn’t look back at her phone, knowing that if Nursey refused, she would know when her lunch wasn’t picked up. But sure enough, she grabbed the tray and a handful of napkins before delivering them to Dex’s table. The group of hockey players often sat together, which meant that a few eyebrows raised due to this strange behaviour. Nursey ignored it since she had to go back to the counter to grab her own lunch before squeezing in beside Bitty and starting to eat silently.

 

**_Dexter’s Laboratory:_ ** _thank u!_

 

They all finished eating and went back to classes, Dex making a point to avoid Bitty’s questioning gaze as they left the cafeteria. She’d fill her friend in later, maybe.

 

She spent the next three hours in a lecture with Chowder, writing her notes down in a book due to the fact that her laptop had finally given in and died. It was a hand-me-down from a family friend, and it was possibly the biggest MacBook she’d ever seen but it had been trustworthy until three days ago when it decided not to turn on. Dex had rewired it at least four times, trying to make it start working again, but it was fried beyond repair.

 

She was dreading the hours she’d have to spend in the library typing up essays, but she didn’t really have another choice.

 

Chowder had offered to send her notes but Dex couldn’t accept it, she felt terrible that she wasn’t able to send hers back. Actually, she stilled as her hand hovered over her phone. Only if Nursey wasn’t busy that afternoon.

 

**_Dexter’s Laboratory:_ ** _hey do you have any homework or assignments coming up??_

 

**_Nurse:_ ** _nope! just handed in an assignment today! i don’t have any more for at least a week, why??_

 

**_Dexter’s Laboratory:_ ** _would you possibly be able to type up my comp sci notes from the past few days for me?? laptop died and i don’t want to go to the library ($15)_

 

**_Nurse:_ ** _yeah sure! drop ur notes at my dorm tonight and i can have them done by tomorrow or the day after (depending on how many you have)_

 

Dex turned to Chowder with a smile and looked at her laptop. “Actually on second thought, I’d love to share. I’ll send you mine as soon as possible. Thank you.”

 

She wasn’t expecting Chowder’s answering grin, but it made her stomach warm and she was suddenly very grateful that she had such wonderful friends at Samwell. They completed the lecture and went for coffee together, since Dex wasn’t sure when Nursey’s classes were over and didn’t want to show up at the other girl’s dorm before she got home. Of course, she also wanted to spend time with Chowder so it was a win-win.

 

She’d met Nursey’s roommate once before and it was… Intense to say the least. She’d slipped up in her usual ex-republican way, and was chewed out for it before she even knew what she did wrong. She’d decided to stop being a republican shortly after that, when she spent a few hours in the library and a few hours talking to Shitty about all of the parts of government she didn’t really understand. Dex still wasn’t sure if she was a Democrat yet either, so she was mostly stuck in a political limbo but that was okay for now.

 

She opted for a soy latte and paid for Chowder’s frappuccino, knowing that she probably couldn’t afford it but it was fine. It was what friends did, and Chowder’s smile was worth it. It also gave her an excuse to hang around the counter while she went to find them a seat. Dex subtly took one of the job applications that were sitting untouched on the bench, filling it in and handing it over to the boy behind the counter with one of her most charming smiles before he handed her their drinks. She took them back to Chowder and they had barely touched the table when the other girl looked over her shoulder.

 

“What were you filling out? Was it one of those ‘free coffee for a year’ competition things?” She was practically bouncing in her seat, probably considering trying as well.

 

“Uh… Not exactly.” She started to drink her latte, hissing through her teeth as it burned her tongue.

 

“What was it then?” Chowder managed to completely ignore the girl fanning her mouth desperately in her curiosity.

 

“A job application.” She laughed bitterly and looked down at her hands, studying her fingernails with intense interest.

 

“Oh. Will that affect hockey practice?”

 

“I don’t fucking know, Chow! But I need the money otherwise I’ll have to leave Samwell and then who cares about hockey, right? I’m poor, remember? It’s not as easy for me as it is for you!” She felt bad for getting mad at her teammate but she couldn’t think about that as she stood and left the cafe angrily, latte in hand.

 

Her last thought as the small bell at the door sounded, was that at least she hadn’t yelled enough to jeopardise her chances of getting a job there.

 

* * *

 

She knew it was logical to have gone straight to Nursey’s. She was probably out of class and they lived in the same building so she could have gone home if no one answered the door. But instead, she went straight to her own dorm and changed her outfit three times. It was nearly six o’clock when she left with her notes in hand, taking deep breaths and reminding herself to go and visit Chowder once they were done. She knocked at the door as soon as she got to it, knowing that standing by herself would give her time to chicken out.

 

“What are you even afraid of?” She muttered to herself, rolling her eyes and then snapping her head up when the door swung open to reveal Nursey looking more relaxed than she could ever remember seeing her.

 

She had her hair out and was wearing a cropped t-shirt with grey sweatpants. Dex didn’t know she wore glasses until now either but she felt oddly betrayed by the fact that she hadn’t seen them until now. Something twisted low in her gut and she pushed the thoughts about her D-mate to the back of her mind as she held up the notes.

 

“Hey, um, I brought the notes… For you to type up and stuff.” She fumbled over the words, fighting the urge to look down at her hands. She didn’t want to seem weak. She had the upper hand and Nursey owed her.

 

“Oh sweet, thanks! Come in.” Nursey stepped out of the doorway and held the door open for her, allowing her to step inside and watch the other girl shut the door behind them.

 

“No, thank  _you_. Really I know there’s the whole paying you thing but this is really helping me out. I don’t know how I’ll cope without a laptop but… Nevermind, sorry I’m rambling.” She followed Nursey to her bedroom where they both sat on the bed and the other girl grabbed her laptop and immediately started typing ridiculously fast. “Wow, I should’ve asked you to type up my notes weeks ago. Could have shaved years off of my life.”

 

“You only started being nice to me today, though.” Nursey didn’t even look up. “You know this won’t actually take too long to type up. If you want to hang here I can get it done in an hour or two and you can take it back to your dorm with you.”

 

“Wait you’re saying I was the one who was being a bitch? I was  _trying_ to be nice but you were being all… You!” She took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. “Um, yeah. That’d be great. Thanks.”

 

“You were all… Republican and shit! What was I supposed to do? Let you be horrible to me?” The tone that Nursey used was like a punch to the stomach. Of course, Dex knew how horrible she’d been, but she didn’t realise how much it had affected her friendship with Nursey.

 

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t think–”

 

“Yeah, I know, you didn’t think of anyone but yourself. Can we just do this in silence?”

 

“No. I was going to say that I didn’t think about how much it affected everyone else. Of course, I knew I was being shitty and I didn’t know better but that doesn’t excuse it, I know that. I really am sorry, and I am trying my best. It’s just hard sometimes, okay?”

 

“Hard to not be an asshole. Got it.”

 

Dex just rolled her eyes and sat back on the bed, folding her arms and watching Nursey type. “No, Nurse. You don’t get it. Spoiled bitch.” She muttered to herself, being careful not to let Nursey hear.

 

They worked in silence for the rest of the night, Dex leaving at eight-thirty with a USB clutched tightly in one hand and her original notes clutched tightly in the other. She’d managed to hold back any vicious comments about Nursey’s perfect upbringing and she considered that a win for the night. She spoke softly to say goodbye and went straight to Chowder’s building, hoping that the girl she’d upset earlier was still awake.

 

She rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for the door to open, Chowder standing and looking completely distraught on the other side.

 

“Dex! Oh my god you’re okay. I tried to text you and you didn’t reply and I tried to call you and it went straight to voicemail. I’m so sorry I didn’t even think about the fact that I might have been offensive to you and I didn’t realise how difficult it must be to get through college without a lot of financial support from your parents. Please just let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.”

 

Dex stood there, speechless before she simply leapt at her friend and tackled her to the ground in a big hug. “I came to say sorry for exploding at you earlier, you really don’t deserve that. But thank you for being so understanding. I sort of really need the money, but I promise it won’t affect the way I play, alright?” They sat up and she ruffled Chowder’s hair, both of them giggling.

 

“It’s okay, I’m always here for you, no matter what.” They hugged again before a boy walked out of Chowder’s room in a pair of sweatpants and a tight Henley. Dex turned to her friend with her eyebrows raised.

 

“Hi?” She smiled at him and stood up, extending her hand. “I’m Dex. And you are…?”

 

“Farmer. I’m Chrissy’s boyfriend.” He put an arm around her shoulders as she stood up and Dex remembered the few conversations the team had about him.

 

“Oh right of course! Volleyball, right?”

 

“Yeah. Our parties aren’t as wild as those from the hockey team but it’s good.” He smiled at Dex and she suddenly felt like she was intruding on their quality time together.

 

“Yeah, I mean we’ve only had one so far, but they’re definitely wild.” She laughed softly, turning to Chowder and holding out the USB in her hand. “Here are the notes, by the way. Nursey… let me borrow her laptop so I could do them for you.”

 

“Oh, you two are getting along? That’s so great to hear!” Chowder’s smile was so wide that she didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise.

 

“Yeah, we have our moments but we’re getting along. I’d better get going, though, it’s been a long day.” She faked a yawn and looked between Chowder and Farmer. “It was so nice meeting you, Cole, especially after hearing so many wonderful things about you. I can’t wait to see you at a kegster sometime!” She turned on her heel and hugged Chowder quickly before leaving the dorm, smiling to herself and suddenly realising that she was in a much better mood than she had been all day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas for jobs you'd like to see Nursey do?
> 
> Chat with me! miscgays on tumblr


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